Page 94 of Exacting Vengeance

“My people have been following him,” Lebedev said. “Not to hurt him. Just follow.”

Kyle’s heart beat faster at the implication.

He definitely knows where Yuri is.

Which also meant he knew where Victoria was.

Kyle had to choose his next words carefully. They both did. For whatever reason, Lebedev had a motive for helping him find Yuri. If Lebedev gave up Yuri’s location, he had to know he’d never get his share of the money.

Impatience was killing him, but he had to let Lebedev get to the point in his own way and in his own time.

“He will be well-armed,” Lebedev said. “Of that, I can assure you. He loves Russian weaponry.”

“I’m sure he does.” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Lebedev was suggesting Yuri would be heavily armed, giving Kyle justification to use deadly force, if necessary. But again, why would he want Yuri dead? If Yuri was dead, there’d be no money. And if he did want to kill him, why not have his own people take care of it?

“Yuri was once family to me, but no more. Brothers share with brothers. Yuri has chosen not to be a brother. You see,” Lebedev continued carefully, “you have spies in Brighton Beach. I also have my…connections. I hear things.”

There it was. The reason he didn’t care if Yuri were dead.

Somehow, Lebedev’s connections had informed him the FBI already seized the money.

“Yuri Petrov can no longer be trusted. He is of no use to me and yet, I owe him.” Lebedev paused for several seconds. “He once saved my life. In a Gulag. Did you know that?”

“No.” He hadn’t, and Jesus. This conversation was surreal.

Because Yuri had once saved Lebedev’s life, Lebedev could never kill Yuri himself or order his death. Nikolai Lebedev was, essentially, blessing him to kill Yuri with no repercussions, despite his being the agent who brought down half their high-ranking members. Not exactly a front-page family for Good Housekeeping.

Then it hit him, and he nearly laughed into the phone as the real reason for the call hit him dead-center in the chest.

A secret between two people is only safe when one of them is dead. Yuri was the only other person who knew he and Lebedev had kidnapped and murdered seven people.

“I always liked Vika. She was a good girl. Too thin for my taste but a good girl. She deserved better than Yuri Petrov. Maybe she finds someone better soon.”

Was he saying Victoria was now safe from future retribution as well?

Kyle hoped that was true.

“So,” Lebedev continued, “I tell you where Yuri is, you do your job. Stokes Road. Wharton State Forest. Pine Barrens.”

“Why? What’s there?” Kyle asked. Except for being an isolated part of South Jersey, he didn’t know much about the Pine Barrens.

“How should I know? Pine Trees?”

“Can you be more specific with the location?”

“No. I have not heard from my man.”

“Do you have Yuri’s cell number?” Kyle asked quickly. The impatient tone in Lebedev’s voice told him the man was a second away from hanging up, but if he couldn’t pinpoint exactly where Yuri was, they might be able to triangulate his position by pinging his phone.

“Yes.” He rattled off the number. “Agent Gates, remember what I said. Do what you must.”

The call went dead.

Deke snorted. “Did I hear right? Did the head of the Bratva just tell you to take out one of his own guys?”

“Yeah.” Yet nothing in Lebedev’s carefully selected words would convict him of anything. “He’s using me as a tool to take out the only other witness to those homicides. Because Yuri saved his life, he can’t do it himself.”

“I can get you a chopper,” Mike said, already placing the call, “but by the time it goes up the chain and gets here, you could already be down there.”